Chapter 1 Slept with My Brother's Enemy
Vivian Yates had loved her brother for five years.
On Christmas Eve, at twenty-three, she finally came to her senses. Straddling a man she had known for less than a week in the front seat of a red convertible, she decided to end that hopeless obsession once and for all.
"Why the hell are you crying?"
The man beneath her looked fierce enough to terrify anyone, and Vivian shrank back instinctively.
"I-I'm scared it'll hurt, Mr. Graves. C-Could you pull out first? No, wait, go away! I changed my mind! I changed my mind!"
Lucien Graves paused for a beat before rolling his hips upward slightly.
As expected, he met resistance.
He straightened and looked down at her with dark amusement.
"Going this far your first time?" His lips curved. "Too late for regrets now."
Vivian trembled. She curled in on herself, hoping he might show mercy, but Lucien's gaze only darkened.
He had known every kind of woman: seductive, innocent, reserved, passionate. Yet never one like her. She was pure and sinful all at once, so irresistible it made his pulse thunder.
In one swift motion, he flipped her beneath him, switched their positions, spread her legs, and pressed against her.
Suddenly, a firework burst overhead, blazing across the night sky. Lucien paused and frowned at Vivian's pale, trembling face. "Are you really that scared?"
"N-No..." Vivian had no idea how to explain. She had downed an entire bottle of liquor earlier, and in the darkness, she had never paid attention to where they had parked. Only when the fireworks lit up the sky did she realize they were in Ashbourne Heights, with Adrian Vaughn's villa just nearby.
No matter how strained things had become between them, he was still her brother in name. If he caught her with another man like this, there would be no explaining it. Panic surged through her, and she immediately began to struggle.
"Damn it, hold still!"
"I-I don't feel right! I don't want to do this anymore!"
Lucien's expression darkened. Desire had never burned hotter in him, and there was no way he would stop over such a transparent excuse. Knowing how unconvincing she sounded, Vivian quickly pressed herself against him in a clumsy attempt to soothe him.
"Mr. Graves... c-could we go to a hotel instead? I'm just afraid someone might see us. There are too many fireworks tonight..."
Lucien gripped her chin, his voice cold. "No. Open your legs and take it. You'll enjoy it."
He thrust down with ruthless force, but at that exact moment a black car came speeding toward them. Its headlights flooded the convertible, exposing their compromising position in a flash. Vivian instinctively shoved Lucien away.
Pain detonated through her body. Her forehead slammed hard. Her head spun. The inside of her thigh struck the seat so violently her vision went white.
She curled into the seat, teeth clenched, every nerve screaming, barely able to think through the pain when Lucien swore under his breath.
"M-Mr. Graves... are you okay?"
Lucien ignored her. His face dark as thunder, he vaulted into the driver's seat and fired up the engine, clearly intending to ram the other car in return.
Panic surged through Vivian. Fighting through the pain, she forced herself upright just as another burst of fireworks lit the sky, illuminating the face in the other vehicle.
It was Adrian.
Her pupils shrank, and her whole body began to tremble. "No! Don't hit him, please!"
"You know him?"
"He's... my brother."
Lucien slammed on the brakes. He stared at her for a long moment before asking in a flat voice, "Are you coming with me, or are you going home?"
Vivian looked toward Adrian.
His face was thunderous, his gaze locked on Lucien like a snake ready to strike. It was obvious he had no intention of letting the matter rest.
The sight dragged her back three years.
A senior who had once pursued her had publicly proposed at their graduation ceremony, cornering her before the entire school.
Adrian had worn that same expression in the crowd.
Afterward, he dragged her into the restroom without a word and kissed her until her knees nearly gave out and her eyes burned red with tears.
Only then did he pull back, breathing hard, and rasp against her lips.
"Vivian. You're mine."
She had always known Adrian harbored feelings for her. What she had forgotten was that feelings could change.
Closing her eyes, she whispered, "Mr. Graves... I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."
Lucien did not argue. He only pulled her into his arms, kissed her hard, and growled against her lips, "Don't make it up to me, Vivian. Save it for me..." He paused, then let out a cold laugh. "Whatever. I'll have you sooner or later."
Then he drove away.
The blush had barely faded from Vivian's cheeks before Adrian shoved her into his own car.
She knew Adrian was angry, but she had not expected him to be this furious. The moment they stepped through the front door, he slammed her against the wall.
"Adrian, are you insane?"
His eyes were bloodshot, his voice low with rage. "Am I insane, or are you? Vivian, I raised you for five years, and I never imagined you'd stoop so low as to pick up some random man and sleep with him on the side of the road on Christmas Eve."
"He's not—let go of me!"
Adrian laughed, but there was no warmth in it.
"This again?" His gaze cut into her. "Vivian, I told you before, I only see you as my sister. If you pull another pathetic stunt like this just to provoke me, I won't come save you again."
He leaned closer, his voice colder than before. "And stop treating those childish feelings like they ever meant anything."
Vivian froze as pain tore through her chest, sharp and relentless, as though her heart had been cut open again and again and left bare to the winter wind.
Seeing her fall silent, Adrian drew a deep breath, stepped back, and forced himself to calm down before looking at her. "Vivian. Stop this. Can't we just be brother and sister?"
She stared at him for a long moment before finally answering in a quiet but unwavering voice, "Sure."
Adrian stiffened, clearly caught off guard. "And everything before...?"
"That was childish foolishness. I know." Then she added, slowly and deliberately, "Brother."
That single word slammed the door shut on everything between them. Vivian watched him walk away, and for the first time, she felt absolutely nothing.
